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If anyone deserves something special this holiday season, it’s the folks who’ve been keeping you so well-fed all year. Heck, we bet they’re in the kitchen right now, whipping up a batch of gingerbread cookies or planning the turkey dinner. So pamper the hardworking cook on your list with some new cookware, delicious nibblies or an endless supply of farm-fresh veggies. Here are some ideas to get you started.

A passion for purple

Any cook worth their fleur de sel will want one of Le Creuset’s gorgeous enamelled pots, especially when it comes in this season’s most fashionable colour, cassis. This rich, dark purple hue is a beautiful addition to any kitchen. And even better, it goes perfectly with all those lovely wine-soaked stews and braises we’re craving at this time of year. Le Creuset in cassis is available in various styles ranging from a 26 cm square skillet grill ($175) to a 6.9-litre round French oven ($385). For more information, visit www.LeCreuset.ca.

Mmmmmelted cheese

What is it about ooey, gooey melted cheese that makes it so ideal for entertaining? With T-fal’s 2 in 1 Raclette, guests can gather round as cheese melts in the little removable nonstick compartments, then slather it deliciously all over vegetables, meat or bread they grill on top ($99.99 at The Bay, Home Outfitters and Canadian Tire). Or they can dunk forkfuls of bread into the molten fromage bubbling away in All-Clad’s fabulous fondue pot. It’s a stainless steel pot with a three-litre ceramic insert that promises efficient and uniform heat, as well as handy slots for the forks. Suggested retail price $215; visit www.all-clad.ca to find a store near you.

Perfect preserves

Breakfast will never be ordinary again thanks to Jamie Oliver’s marvelous marmalade. Britons are famous for the citrusy spread, and this celebrity chef’s fine-cut version is one of the best - all sweet and tart and just bitter enough to be interesting. Jme Seville Orange Marmalade is part of the Jme Pantry Collection It retails for $28.95 at Williams Sonoma (www.williams-sonoma.ca).

Cookware that really cooks

If you have a serious cook around the house, you will earn their undying love (not to mention a lifetime of gourmet meals) by bestowing upon them some truly terrific cookware. An All-Clad Copper Core cookware set is not just any old collection of pots and pans. It is the definitive chef gift, with five-ply construction of stainless steel interior cooking surface, two aluminum layers, a copper core and a polished stainless steel exterior. It is also the first and only induction compatible copper cookware. Available in seven-, 10- and 14-piece sets at a suggested retail price of $1,110 to $2,500. For more information about All-Clad or to find a retailer in your area visit www.all-clad.ca.

Pudding, please

Oh, bring us some figgy pudding - especially if it’s the Fortnum and Mason St. James Plum Pudding, a much-loved holiday tradition across the pond. It’s $21 at Holt Renfrew, which is also carrying the Fortnum and Mason Musical Cookie Tin, $27, www.holtrenfrew.com. Mind you, we’re also awfully tempted by the Williams Sonoma Sticky Toffee Pudding Mix and Mold, a moist date sponge cake and caramel sauce made according to an old family recipe from England’s Lake District, $38, www.williams-sonoma.ca.

Decorative arts

Give the baker in the family a Kuhn Rikon Pastry Decorative Set and watch ’em start decorating desserts like a pro. This set features a large pastry gun that can frost an entire cake without refilling, along with 12 plastic and two stainless steel tips that can create ribbons, stars, flowers, lettering and more. It also has a handy frosting spatula as well as two decorating bottles for creating accents. Available for $45 at Cookworks, www.cookworks.ca.

We all scream for . . .

For the ultimate in home-cooking decadence, nothing beats a really good ice cream maker. Just think of the fresh fruits, the exotic flavours, the cream and eggs and chocolate that could be mixed and chilled to sweet perfection. We especially love the ice cream makers from Cuisinart. The Pure Indulgence Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker whips up two litres of fabulous frozen delights in 25 minutes or less (for about $99), while the Supreme Commercial Quality Ice Cream Maker has a built-in compressor-freezer, so there’s no bowl to pre-freeze and it’ll produce batch after batch (about $329). For more info, visit www.cuisinart.ca.

The perfect slice

No kitchen tool is as important as a really good knife. While there are perfectly good factory-made versions on the market, for the Ferrari of knives you want a handmade, carbon steel Japanese blade - just the sort of thing Kevin Kent carries at his Calgary store Knifewear. His knives are true works of art that can slice through just about anything, which is why chefs are clamouring for them, especially when visiting knife makers come from Japan to lead workshops at the shop. It’s best if you can drop by to practise for a while and discover your knifely soulmate, but if you’re not heading to Cowtown anytime soon, you can still order online. Prices range from about $200 to about $1,400 at www.knifewear.com.

A taste of Paris

A visit to the fine food emporium Fauchon is a delicious stop during any trip to the City of Light. Now you can bring the taste of Paris home with the gourmet goodies that Holt Renfrew has brought in for the holidays. You won’t be able to resist Fauchon’s assorted preserves, $32, Un Soir de Noel tea blend, $46, caramel pack, $35, and Almond Past Christmas calisson, $35, www.holtrenfrew.com.

Fresh veggies

Support your local farmers and provide your favourite cook with endless produce by investing in Community Supported Agriculture (or Community Shared Agriculture). With a CSA, you pay a fee at the start of the growing season then receive “shares” in the form of fresh veggies throughout the year. You never know what will be in the weekly grocery box - spinach, peppers, onions, carrots, tomatoes - and that’s half the fun. There are CSAs all over Canada, and you can find them through databases like the Ontario CSA Directory (http://csafarms.ca/) or Farm Folk City Folk in B.C. (www.ffcf.bc.ca). Prices vary, but the support or farmers - not to mention the yummy produce - is worth every penny.

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